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Editorials
A logical time to update school plan : Editorials : Oswego Ledger-Sentinel : Hometown Newspaper for Oswego and Montgomery, IllinoisA logical time to update school plan
| 10/11/2012
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Oswego School District Superintendent Dr. Matthew Wendt has proposed the school district complete a new strategic plan.
He told the school district board at a meeting last month that the current plan, which dates to 2006, is outdated. Wendt said a task force that could number between 75 to 100 people-including volunteer residents-could work on the new plan over the course of the school year.
Much has changed since a prior school board adopted the current strategic plan for the district six years ago. The economy tanked in 2008 causing new home construction in the district to all but stop. Meanwhile, the district's enrollment continues to climb, surpassing the 17,700 mark at the opening of the current school year. In addition, the school board decided last year to shelve plans for a third high school, while all of the district's top administrators had left or retired at the conclusion of the last school year.
Meanwhile, the school district faces severe financial pressures due to the overall poor economy and declining state aid payments. The district has had to issue Tax Anticipation Warrants (essentially bank loans) to cover all of its expenses in recent years and the annual budget adopted by the board last month shows a deficit of $2.5 million.
Truly, the district is facing some formidable challenges in the years ahead and we agree with Wendt that now is an opportune time for the district's new administrative team, the school board and residents to identify priorities and set goals for the district to achieve over the next several years.
The school district has long been this community's strongest asset. We believe most of the families that moved to Oswego, Montgomery and the Kendall and Will county sections of Aurora over the past 15 years did so because of the school district. The challenge now facing the board, Wendt and other newly hired administrators is to maintain and then build on the district's reputation as a place where children can receive a quality education.
Wendt's call for a new strategic plan is timely and logical. All of those concerned should move forward on it as expeditiously as possible.
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